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The other day, my best friend mentioned that her old Ikea Ektorp sofa, which is well-used by her two young children, is in need of a pick-me-up. The slipcover had washed up just fine, but she really wanted to liven up her family room. She was thinking a new set of toss cushions and a stylish throw. I was thinking Bemz.

"What's Bemz?" she asked.

Bemz, I told her, is to slipcovered Ikea furniture what meatballs are to Swedes. Which is to say, made for each other.

The slipcover, of course, is the best home invention since the self-cleaning oven. It's a stylish, worry-free way to not only keep your upholstery looking clean - wash and wear is the only way to go when you have a young family - but to freshen up the décor every now and then.

Enter Lesley Pennington, a University of Toronto graduate and entrepreneur who in 2004 dreamed up Bemz after falling in love with a Swedish man, moving to Stockholm and buying a white Ikea Tomelilla sofa for their summer home.

Wouldn't it be great, she thought, if the sofa's handy slipcover came in a variety of colours and textiles, something that suited her eclectic taste, instead of just white cotton and the two other plain colours offered with the sofa? Wouldn't it be ideal if there was a company that provided that service, and also made slipcovers to order for discontinued Ikea furniture?

Bemz was born and, in keeping with the Ikea spirit, Pennington created the name as an acronym for the children in her family.

Fast forward eight years. Bemz has not only breathed new life into old Ikea furniture, it has also upped its game. It not only offers the basic slipcovers Ikea customers are familiar with, but also custom-designed textiles by such labels as Helsinki's Marimekko, famous for its bright prints and colours, and the British Designers Guild. The company also makes a new line of multi-fit, tie-arm covers for non-Ikea furniture.

It's all just a keystroke away, with bemz. com delivering its products to 35 countries within a few weeks of orders.

As for fabric styles, my friend was delighted to find Bemz offers 88 solid-colour fabrics and 92 prints from which to choose. There are striped slipcovers and flowered slipcovers and solid block slipcovers. They are all available in palettes that include beige, brown, green, blue, orange, red, pink/purple, grey and black, and are on offer for Ikea cushions, day beds, dining room chairs, headboards, bed skirts and footstools. The selection of fabrics includes cotton, linen, cotton-linen blend and chenille textured cotton, all made from 100-per-cent natural fibres that are machine washable.

The website lets you test every colour and pattern on the Ikea piece you're looking to update so that you can visualize it in your home. Prices range from about $25 for a bar stool cover to $700-plus, as well as shipping costs. You can also order up to five free fabric swatches.

If you find so many fabric choices to be a little too much and don't have a fixed design esthetic in mind, don't fret. Bemz has grouped some of its textiles into "Lifestyle" categories - they include Playground, Simple Life, Bohemian Chic, Urban Living and Scandinavian Country - to help you discover your personal style.

So no matter whether you're dealing with a slipcover-less armchair you picked up in the as-is department at Ikea or an old Ektorp in need of a facelift, Bemz gives you 180 options to freshen up your space.

lfralic@sunprovince.com

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